SLO County employee charged with misuse of public funds Wednesday
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced Wednesday that Norman Hibble has been arrested and charged for allegedly stealing public money while working for the County of San Luis Obispo.
The 12-count felony complaint alleges that between April of 2017 and October of 2023, Hibble misused a county credit card by purchasing over $100,000 worth of personal items.
“The discovery of this abuse of County funds is difficult for County employees who have dedicated their professional careers to ensure public trust,” detailed Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector for San Luis Obispo County, Jim Hamilton. “Despite stringent policies and procedures around the use of County credit cards, we must do better. Since the discovery an ongoing in-depth review of policies and procedures is being conducted to ensure proper use of credit cards across all County departments. Our commitment with the review is to strengthen oversight and internal controls to ensure the appropriate use public funds for all County expenditures.”
Hibble was the county employee who had search warrants executed at their home and office in November of last year.
“We have been working with the Auditor-Controller’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office and will support their efforts to prosecute to the full extent of the law,” said County Counsel Rita Neal. “This is a terrible abuse of the trust Mr. Hibble had acquired during his 16 years of employment with the County. He stole taxpayer money.”
The 54-year-old has been booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail with his bail set at $350,000 state San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.
According to San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office, Hibble is currently scheduled to be arraigned on these charges on Friday, Feb. 23 of this year and if convicted, faces a "significant prison sentence".
The investigation into this incident is an ongoing collaborative effort between the District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Auditor-Controller and is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal of the Major Fraud/Public Integrity Unit detail San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.
According to the County of San Luis Obispo, Hibble's employment was officially ended on Jan. 5 and if convicted, the county intends to "seek restitution of funds through whatever means are legally available, including severing Mr. Hibble's pension".
“The County takes theft of County funds very seriously and we won’t tolerate if [sic] from any employee,” stated acting County Administrative Officer Rebecca Campbell.
